


A Start

by keylimepie



Series: Sabriel One-Shots [14]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: First Dates, M/M, Post-Episode: s13e18 Bring 'em Back Alive, Prayer, Romantic Fluff, Season/Series 13 Spoilers, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-15
Updated: 2018-04-15
Packaged: 2019-04-23 10:54:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14330946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keylimepie/pseuds/keylimepie
Summary: Fluffy coda fic in which Sam prays to Gabriel and misunderstandings are cleared up





	A Start

Sam left the library and moved stealthily down the bunker hallway. After Dean’s meltdown, Cas had stepped forward toward Dean. He hadn’t said much but he had that steely, determined look, and Sam knew that he would stand there stoically and take whatever else Dean was going to dish out. And that eventually, Dean’s storm would run dry and he would talk more rationally to Cas, perhaps. Sam was too raw to stick around for that, though, and so he ducked out of the room. 

He’d intended to go to his room. Maybe try to read a book, maybe just lie on his bed and process it all, maybe even sleep. Instead, he’d found himself veering into Gabriel’s room. He snorted at himself softly. Barely a day and already he thought of it as Gabriel’s room. His heart felt sore. He’d been so sure the archangel would stay with them. Now he wasn’t sure why he’d thought that. Of course Gabriel would bail, of course he would. Sam sat on the edge of the bed carefully and studied the walls. 

“Gabriel… God, I’m just so glad you’re alive.” He sighed deeply. It had always weighed heavily on his mind that they had been the cause of the archangel’s death. “I wish I could tell you- oh. Of course.” He scrubbed his hand across his face and then clasped his hands in front of him and bowed his head, his hair flopping forward to frame his face. 

“O Holy Archangel Gabriel,” he began, his face twisting a little in amusement - surely Gabriel hated this kind of pomposity? “Most Holy Gabriel, hear my prayer. Please,” he added, a shadow crossing his face as he thought of the last ‘please’ he’d said before Gabriel poofed out of there. “Please Gabriel, just… just know that I’m happy that you’re safe, first and foremost. I won’t lie, I would love to have your help. I mean, thanks for the vote of confidence, but I honestly have no idea how we’re going to do any of this without you. But the thing is… Gabriel, I- I missed you. I always hoped you’d come around and work with us. Or even just… I don’t know, I don’t know. Sometimes I really felt like you’d be someone I could talk to about… someone who’d really listen, you know? And I’d be happy to do the same for you, if you wanted. And like maybe, all the heavy stuff aside, we could have some fun hanging out, you know? I guess I’m kinda boring by your standards. But, the point is, it’s not just the bad stuff, it’s not just the wanting… I just want you to be part of... Anyway, Gabriel… please come back and talk to us. To me. No pressure to do anything you don’t want to. I, um. I won’t mention to Dean or Cas, if you don’t want, I-” 

“Ooh, Sammy. I can be your dirty little secret?” 

Sam twisted around with a gasp. Gabriel was behind him, sprawled out across the bed, propped up on one elbow. He was clad in a striped button-down shirt, baggy jeans, and black sneakers. 

“Gabriel! You came!” Sam exclaimed. “I can’t believe-” 

“You always did have a way with words, Sam.” 

Sam shook his head. “I don’t remember it working so well on anyone but you.” 

Gabriel huffed a little laugh. “So how about that date, kiddo?” 

“What date? I didn’t-” 

“I know how it is with you millenials. No one goes ‘on dates’; you just ‘hang out.’ I can deal with that. I can keep up with the times. C’mon, Sam. Let’s just get out of here.” He sat up and held out his hand. 

“Oh-okay,” Sam stuttered. He laid his hand carefully in Gabriel’s. Gabriel rotated his hand to entwine their fingers and he gave a gentle squeeze. With his other hand, Gabriel snapped his fingers, and Sam felt the whoosh of angelic travel and then he snapped his eyes open again. He was standing, still woozy from the flight, but Gabriel had a steadying hand on his lower back now, and their hands were still clasped. Sam took a deep breath and tried to orient himself. 

They were standing on a city sidewalk. It was early evening and there was a slow trickle of people meandering around - no hustle and bustle. Still, it felt vibrant and lively. Music spilled out of several of the businesses on the block, mingling in an eclectic mixture. Sam looked around. 

“Where did you bring us?” he asked. 

“Oh, uh. Greenwich Village. New York City. There’s, uh, there’s a good band playing at that cafe over there.” He let go of Sam’s hand to gesture toward a little black storefront with a colorful neon sign. Sam felt a little sense of loss, his hand felt suddenly cold without Gabriel’s, and he really didn’t want to think about how quickly he’d gotten used to that touch, and how much he didn’t want to just walk away and lose the gentle touch on his back as well.. Then Gabriel’s hand slid even further around his waist, holding him comfortably as he guided them toward the aforementioned cafe. 

Inside it was pretty crowded, but Gabriel managed to find them a small table, guiding Sam toward a seat, and pulling out his chair for him nonchalantly. The band, a folk rock band with a punk flavor, was mid-song, and they sat just far enough back that they could hear it well, but could still have a conversation. 

“These guys are gonna make it big pretty soon. Lucky we get to see them now,” Gabriel said, gesturing toward the band. He picked up the menu and flipped it around. “Ooh, they have the cheesecake. Haven’t had that in ages.” 

“It was chili cheese fries, for me,” Sam said. Gabriel looked at him curiously. “When I first got back from- from the Cage. Not my usual thing, but that was the first thing I wanted to eat.” He rubbed the back of his neck, and Gabriel glanced at him quickly before looking away, his mouth set tight in anger. 

“I’m so sorry it ended up that way, kiddo. I never intended for you to-” 

“I know, Gabriel, it’s not your fault. It all worked out as best as it could have. We were successful, and we never would have been without your help. I was grateful- I never held anything against you.” 

“You wouldn’t,” Gabriel said. “You’re just so-” he cut himself off abruptly with a shake of his head. The waitress approached, and they ordered - an Americano and carrot cake for Sam, a caramel mocha, cheesecake with raspberry sauce, the triple fudge cake, and a giant chocolate chip cookie sundae for Gabriel. The waitress blinked a little in surprise, but jotted the order down and went to get their drinks. 

It was a comfortable silence between them for a while, punctuated by the band playing and the order arriving, and Gabriel was halfway through his impressive spread of desserts before he spoke again. “When you got out, Sam… did you jump back into, you know, doing your hunter thing?” 

“I mean, basically? I guess that’s why I thought you might… I guess I was thinking too much about the things we have in common and I didn’t stop to consider our differences. That’s kind of shitty of me and I’m sorry. You have every right to need to process. And I guess I also didn’t think about the fact that once I got my soul back, I wasn’t exactly-” 

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” Gabriel barked, his eyes widening. “You what now?” 

“I told you that Cas managed to get me out of the Cage, but, um. I forgot to mention that he didn’t exactly get my soul at first and it wasn’t until Death was able to-” 

“Oh, Sam.” Gabriel said, his face clouding over in sorrow. “Oh, kiddo.” He set his fork down carefully and reached for Sam’s hand and clasped it between both of his. His hands were warm and comforting. 

“It- it was a long time ago,” Sam said. “It- I don’t-” 

“We both know that none of your usual downplaying and hand-waving is going to work on me.” Gabriel said softly. “And it doesn’t have to be today, but sometime, you and I are going to talk.” 

“That goes both ways, I hope,” Sam said, rubbing his thumb across the back of Gabriel’s hand. Gabriel nodded. 

They kept the conversation light as they finished their desserts, pausing now and then to hold hands again. Sam was beginning to think that there was something more to it than reassurance and support in reaction to their similar traumas. Holding his hand when they talked about being tortured in Hell was one thing, but Sam wasn’t sure that talking about Game of Thrones and advancements in sustainable energy and recent food trends necessitated it. Still, it felt nice and Sam decided not to think about it too much. 

When they left the cafe and strolled around the streets, Gabriel tucked his hand into Sam’s elbow, and that felt nice too. Sam glanced down at him and saw that Gabriel was looking at him too, and he blushed. 

“Gabriel… what is this?” Sam asked softly. 

“A start,” replied the archangel, and he stood on tiptoe and quickly pressed his mouth to Sam’s. They stood looking at each other in stunned silence for a moment, then Sam leaned down and returned the kiss, his hand cupping Gabriel’s cheek gently. 

“Aaaaand… it’s time to send you back, Cinderella. If you still want to keep this on the down low... might be for the best. I’ll see you soon, kiddo.” Gabriel snapped his fingers with a flourish, and Sam found himself lying on the bed, staring at the Enochian on the walls. 

He was still trying to decide whether it had been real or a dream when Dean poked his head through the doorway. “There you are. C’mon, we, uh. We need to sit down and strategize.” He glanced around the room at the walls, but didn’t say anything. 

“I’ll be there in a minute,” Sam said. He sat up, rubbing his neck stiffly. He put his hand down on the bed and his hand brushed against something smooth there. The little glass vial that had held Gabriel’s grace. Sam picked it up, screwed the lid back on it, and walked over to the desk. After a few moments of digging, he found a ball of string and he soon had the vial hanging around his neck, safe beneath his shirts. He knew that it was empty and that nothing of Gabriel remained within, but it felt comforting. In a few moments, he was on his way to join Dean in the library, the cool glass against his skin and the memory of two soft, secret kisses on his mind. 


End file.
